Do rats come out during the day?

Rats are mostly nocturnal but will come out during the day for various reasons. Night clubs and other places that are very busy at night, for instance, see more rat problems in the daytime than at night. With so many humans and noise going on at night in clubs, rats don’t feel comfortable coming out at night, so they are forced to come out in the daylight hours to find food and water. Most sightings of rats during the daylight hours are usually in gardens or other outdoor areas. Rats may be just traveling from one garden to another but rats are opportunistic. Gardens and yards contain food sources such as vegetables, plus nut and fruit trees.

Also, in addition to naturally occurring food sources, rats are attracted to bird feeders, pet food bowls, and leftover food on your grill. Rats are also looking for as much cover as possible so areas they may take cover in include dense vegetation or yards with a lot of plants. Rats are also interested in the food in your trash receptacles. Dog poop in your yard can attract rats as rats find dog poop appetizing. Rats may also be more likely to come out during the day when they are accustomed to being around humans. However, rats are generally more nocturnal because they are more difficult to spot by predators, such as hawks and other birds of prey at night.

It’s not unusual to see rats during the daytime. However, if you see rats in your home during the daytime, and they aren’t your pets, it’s time to contact a professional pest control company. Pestwise will inspect your West Florida home and devise a plan to eliminate rats before they reproduce and cause an infestation that is dangerous to humans and pets.